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We spend our lives surrounded by negativity. The news is filled with bad news from every quarter, the job market is in the tank, and I know a lot of people are having a rough time of it right now.

Positives happen to us as well, but it's easier for us to disregard or forget about the good things, because they aren't as urgent, because it doesn't sell. It's much easier to dwell on the bad than the good.

Enter givesmehope.com. Did someone do you a good turn today? Remember an old story that brings a smile to your face? Anything that gives you hope, you post here for others to read, in order to spread the the hope further. The website is full of stories like this:

I woke up one morning to hear the birds outside my window and my mother cooking breakfast downstairs. I've never cried so much in my entire life. I had been deaf since the age of 8.

and

During WWII, my friend's grandpa was captured and tortured, but he refused to reveal his mission. The japanese said if he didn't spill, they would kill the other five captured men. He wouldn't budge. He escaped, but he had to live with their blood on his hands. 25 years later, he found out they all lived. Not a single one talked. GMH

and

Ten years ago, my friend made an enemy. They didn't click at all and I think my friend really hurt that person. Flash forward. My friend is broke w/ kids, & after getting into huge trouble, really needed a lawyer and was referred to one. The lawyer was her old enemy & she took the case. For free.

I don't know which ones, or how many are true. I'd like to think that nobody would be so crass as to post fake stories on a website like this, but I'm not naive, some of them are probably fake or exaggerated. But that doesn't, for me, lessen the impact. I'll be honest and say that I have to stop reading after 5-10 minutes, because I always start crying too hard to continue. It's not just extraordinary stories like these, but also the normal every day ones, the simple acts of human decency and kindness that happen everyday that we tend to just gloss over. If you start to think about it, you'll realize that you have a lot to contribute, too:

Today, I saw a bunch of teenaged boys tell their friend off for using 'gay' as an insult. GMH.

Today, my manager agreed to work two weeks solid, so that I would be able to attend my classes. GMH.

Today, I saw an entire hotel's worth of employees play with the manager's four year old son, so he wouldn't get bored. GMH.

And today, I linked a website that I know will brighten up someone's day. And that gives me hope.